First, I own nothing to do with True Blood (which is obvious really lol).

I want to send a big thank you out to you all, for being such an encouraging, supportive bunch. Thank you, it means so much to me! I hope you enjoy this one despite it probably being silly. Thank you, and I hope you are all well and happy! x

Chapter Eight

Godric was dreaming the same dream he had constantly ever since he could remember.

In it, he was a younger boy, running down to the seaside. He didn't bother removing his clothes as he waded knee-deep into the water. He paused for a moment, to look and see, to make sure he would not be caught out by his father. Then seeing no one was standing by the sand, he walked again, deeper and deeper, until his head went under and the water engulfed him whole. It didn't matter that he couldn't breathe. He did not return, but all he knew was peace. The peace of death and the icy caress of the water, grabbing hold of him and keeping him under forever. So cold, so sweet.

He was startled awake by a hand shaking him on the shoulder roughly. He lifted his eyes and found his dear friend, Eric, looming over him. He was white as a sheet and distressed. The look did not suit his friend well, who in contrast to Godric was a bit mischievous and a lot irresponsible.

"You woke me, brother," Godric said quietly, sitting up with a heart that was pounding. "I was just experiencing the most glorious dream."

"What type of dream?" Eric asked curiously, sitting beside him.

Godric smiled uncertainly, unsure of where to start. Telling Eric would have only made him look like a fool. "It is impossible to describe, but it was beautiful," he simply said wistfully. "All there was... was peace. None of my father's disappointment anymore. Just... simply peace." The troubled, bleak look on his friend's face did not disappear, and Godric could tell he was wanting to tell him something. Something potentially serious. "What is it? Why do you look so upset, my friend? It's unlike you."

Eric rested his forehead on his knees and did not peer up for a long time. It was then Godric grew seriously worried.

"What is it? Tell me. What's wrong?"

"I have been bad, Godric," he said softly, his voice muffled by the cloth of his trousers.

"But you like being bad. You are always saying so yourself." Godric smiled softly, staring at the top of his friend's head. "That is no fresh development to any of us."

"But this is a different bad, Godric." Eric at last raised his head and Godric saw a fresh, wet line of tears cascading down his cheeks. It disturbed him greatly; In all the years he had known Eric, he had only seen his good friend weep once, and that was when he had discovered his parent's had been mauled to death by wolves. "You have to forgive me."

"What reason will I have to give you my forgiveness? You have done nothing."

"I was wrong," Eric croaked out miserably. "Terribly, terribly wrong."

"How so?"

He shook his head violently as more tears spilled down his cheeks. "About the ones responsible for killing my parents. It wasn't the girl's family, like I thought and had you all believe. All that time I had you all thinking we were doing the right thing... that we were a step closer to avenging my parent's. I waged a war on the wrong people, brother. This is why I ask for your forgiveness."

It took a moment for Godric to realize how serious his friend was being. But when Eric stared at Godric silently, his eyes wet with tears and nothing but solemnity in his expression, the gravity of the situation hit Godric with full force. In that moment, Godric wanted to revoke his friendship with the man he had known since his earliest childhood. But with taking an extra moment of rational thought, he could already see his friend was seriously suffering for his mistake. Men were only men, made of flesh and blood, and they often made mistakes. It was only natural.

"You are a man, Eric," Godric said gently. "And all men on this Earth are bound to make mistakes. It is in our nature, and you were addled with grief and anger over your parent's deaths, which would not make any man act rationally and wisely."

"But it was a terrible mistake, an unforgivable one," Eric muttered helplessly. "Tell me what to do, how I can make amends, Godric. To not only the girl's Faery kin, but... to all of you. To all of you, as my men, my brothers. How can I make this right? How can I... make amends for all the lives I have taken, while wrongfully leading you all out there? The blame is all on me, and as your leader, I should never have made such a grave mistake."

"Nothing you do will ever bring back the lives we have taken,"Godric told him. "But there is a way that you can make amends, and make sure your grave error is never made again. You can't ask me for forgiveness, when it isn't mine to give to you."

"Then tell me what I should do, Godric! What should I do? I will do anything to make it right!"

"Eric, you needn't ask me what you should do," Godric said gently. He heard Eric sob again as he buried his face in his knees, and he reached out to pat him gently on the shoulder. "You already know what you should do. You're not a fool."

Setting his shoulders, Eric wiped his face quickly of all tears on the back of his hands. They sat in companionable silence for a while as Eric's mood settled down.

"You must make amends, brother. For all the lives of her kin we have taken. For all the harm we've caused, all the blood."

"Yes, but how so? How am I meant to? You know as well as I do that going back to the Faery Realm when we are not wanted would be idiotic, Godric."

"Yes, I know. Which is why you can start afresh, make amends through the girl. Love and treat her as if she is one of us, as if she carries your name and she is every bit your kin." Eric sniffled loudly at his words and Godric slipped an arm around his shoulder. "And through her, everything will be absolved as much as it can, although never forgotten."

"Love her? But I-" His friend stopped, sucked in a deep breath, and started again quietly. "I saw her just then. I feared she was missing or hurt and... she was in the river. Naked, and she saw me watching her. I was enthralled by her breasts. She looked like Rán the sea goddess, Godric. I don't know how to love."

Godric slapped him on the back. "We all know how to love."

"I have never known what it means." Eric smiled grimly, wiping his eyes on the palms of his hands again. "Bera was the only woman at home I had, and I liked her body. I liked being around her, and the pleasures of being with her. But I don't know if that was love. But I suppose... with the Sookie princess, she has... grown on me. She's more tolerable than I first thought. And I know I don't want anyone hurting her and I hate the thought of her with someone else other than me, but... that is probably just me being the selfish bastard that I am, Godric. I don't know anything about how to love."

"Aye, that's true," Godric said with a smile. "You can be a selfish bastard. Even your mother reckoned so."

"She wants to come with us." Eric sighed heavily. "She thinks she can help me find the ones who actually were guilty of setting wolves on my family and taking my father's crown. I don't believe her, though."

"Why wouldn't you believe her?"

"Because she's just a girl," Eric said, shrugging dismissively. "She's strong and I know that much. She has shown it herself. But she can't come with us. Not really, Godric." Eric peered at his friend for counsel.

"But why can't she? If she is determined to come along with us, then I see no harm."

"I know there has been many women in the village that has shown themselves to be tremendous fighters," Eric said. "But the thought of her out there..." He frowned, and Godric felt the shudder that passed through his friend's body. "For some reason, I just don't like it. The idea of her in danger's way."

"It is truly no mystery why you feel that way about her," Godric said confidently. "You have grown to like her. That is why the thought of her in danger worries you."

"I don't like her," Eric said, a bit too hastily and defensively. When Godric laughed, obviously not taking his words as true, Eric smiled ruefully at his own words. "So I do like her," he admitted stiffly. "I am just not sure why. She has only been here less than a full day and already, she has managed to evoke such strange feelings in me."

"Eric, your feelings are not strange at all, brother."

"Aren't they?" Eric asked doubtfully. "Well, they feel... strange to me." The men around them started rising, yawning and stretching loudly, and Eric was hasty to change the conversation. "Anyway, if you think allowing her to fight and prove her strength isn't such a bad way to go, you are in-charge, my friend. You may teach her everything you know, but I want to hear nothing of it, Godric."

"I will teach her as much as I can," Godric promised happily. "It would be no harm done in having her on our side if we are to find the ones who rightfully did this to your family." Just then, the girl appeared through the trees. Her hair was wet, her hands were clenched, and she did not look happy. "What have you done to her?" Godric asked, shocked that a girl could possess so much fury.

"I have done nothing to her, Godric. It's as I just said; I feared she was hurt and stumbled across her naked in the river. Maybe she's not happy that I watched her for a bit, and saw her breasts?"

"Obviously she is not happy that you saw her, Eric. You can tell that quite easily by the look on her face. Did you make amends and apologize for it when she discovered you were there?"

"No, I had no time for it," Eric said, holding in a laugh. "I just ran and hoped she would forget all about it. I didn't know I had anything to be sorry for."

Clearly Eric did have something to be sorry for, and Godric saw it plainly himself.

It was written in the ways her hands were clenched tightly into fists at her sides. The way in which she began to storm over towards them where they sat, the way the early morning light that casted on her face showed her indignant and determined expression. And, most definitely, it was shown in the way with once she finally reached them and Eric rose to his feet awkwardly, how one of her hands seemed to act out of its own accord in springing out and slapping Eric sharply across the face. His friend stepped back in pure shock and pressed his palm into his cheek.

Godric felt the slap himself and his own cheek bristled.

"How dare you, you swine!"

"What was that for?"

"You know what for! I saw you watching me!"

"I don't know what you are talking about, sweetling. Godric, do you know?"

"Liar!" She spat out. "I heard your thoughts through the trees, as you were watching me! How dare you, you rude piece of swine!"

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, woman!" Eric shouted over her gruffly. "As if I would watch you!"

"I saw you!"

"Well, you are gravely mistaken."

Godric watched on silently in amusement as the pair continued arguing. The irony did not escape him. Husband and wife, indeed. Already they were bickering like a man and wife joined in union. In this, he saw the potential for love.